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Dr. Johanna Czamanski-Cohen

The Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center, The School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.

Email:

jczamansk@univ.haifa.ac.il

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3980-6848

Research Gate

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Johanna-Czamanski-Cohen

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-czamanski-cohen-1a77207/

About Johanna

I graduated as an Art Therapist from NYU in 1999 and worked primarily in adult psychiatry. I obtained a PhD in Social Work from the Ben Gurion University in Negev in 2013 and since then have been integrating clinical and research practice. The overarching aim of my research is to contribute to the empirical study of Art Therapy practice. My research examines mechanisms of art therapy, primarily focusing on adults, and adopting a psychosomatic medicine framework. I conduct studies with a research approach that utilizes biological methods, self-report, behavioral performance measures and qualitative and visual analysis within the framework of clinical trials, mechanistic and laboratory studies to capture the effects and dynamics of visual art-based interventions. Specifically, my research has made the following three key contributions:
1. Theoretical contribution to the study of Art Therapy

2.The mechanistic study of art therapy.

3. Laboratory studies of art-based interventions.

Publications

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2010). "Oh! Now I remember": The use of a studio approach to art therapy with internally displaced people. Arts in Psychotherapy, 37(5), 407-413.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2012). The use of art in the medical decision-making process of oncology patients. Art Therapy, 29(2), 60-67.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Lunenfeld, E., Douvdevani, A., Levitas, E., & Har-Vardi, I. (2013). Increased plasma cell free DNA is associated with low pregnancy rates among women. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 26, 36-41.

  • Yulevitch, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Segal, D., Ben-Zion, I. Z., & Kushnir, T. (2013). "The vagina dialogues": Association between genital self-image and women's communication about sexual dysfunction and dissatisfaction with physicians. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10(12), 2879-3156.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Levitas, E., Lunenfeld, E., Douvdevani, A., & Har-Vardi, I. (2014). Decrease in cell free DNA levels following participation in stress reduction techniques among women undergoing infertility treatment. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 17, 251-253.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Huss, E., Ifergane, A., Niego, L., & Cwikel, J. (2014). CB-ART: The use of a hybrid cognitive behavioral and art-based protocol for treating pain and symptoms accompanying coping with chronic illness. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41(4), 320-328.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Lunenfeld, E., Douvdevani, A., Levitas, E., & Har-Vardi, I. (2015). Cell free DNA and telomere length among women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 32(11), 1697-1703.

  • Shoshani, A., Mifano, K., & Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2015). The effects of the Make a Wish intervention on psychiatric symptoms and health-related quality of life of children with cancer: A randomised controlled trial. Quality of Life Research, 25(5), 1209-1218.

  • Marroquín, B., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Weihs, K., & Stanton, A. (2016). Loneliness moderates effects of emotional expression and processing on depression and physical symptoms in women with breast cancer: Evidence from implicit and explicit measures. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39, 832-844.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2016). The bodymind model: A platform for the conduct of the mechanistic study of art therapy. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 51, 63-71.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Levitas, E., Lunenfeld, E., & Har-Vardi, I. (2016). Practice makes perfect: The effect of cognitive behavioral interventions during IVF treatments on women’s perceived stress, plasma cortisol and pregnancy rates. Journal of Reproductive Health and Medicine, 2, S21-S26.

  • Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Huss, E. (2017). Treating women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) with a hybrid cognitive behavioral and art therapy (CBART). Archives of Women's Mental Health, 20(1), 229-231.

  • Haiblum-Itskovitch, S., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Galili, G. (2018). Emotional response and changes in heart rate variability following art-making with three different art materials. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(968), 1-9.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sarid, O., Cwikel, J., Levitas, E., & Har-Vardi, I. (2018). Are there preferred coping and communication strategies while undergoing IVF, and do cognitive behavioral interventions help? Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 14(1), 20-32.

  • Kissos, L., Lev-Wiesel, R., & Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2019). Sexual abuse detection through drawing workshop: E-learning contribution. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 24(5-6), 550-567.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Sela, N., Weihs, K., Wiley, J., & Caspi, O. (2019). The role of emotional processing in art therapy (REPAT) for breast cancer patients. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 1, 1-13.

  • Schultz, M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Bentur, N., Mohsen-Byadsi, S., Artsieli, Y., & Bar-Sela, G. (2019). Multidisciplinary staff perspectives on the integration of spiritual care in a new setting: Israel. Palliative and Supportive Care, 1-6.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Galili, G., & Allen, J. B. (2019). Measuring changes in HRV while creating art with three different materials. JoVE, e60376, 1-4.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2020). Protocol for the REPAT study: Role of emotional processing in art therapy for breast cancer palliative care patients. BMJ Open, 10, e037521.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Kabato, K. (2021). The bodymind model of art therapy in individuals coping with problem substance use. International Journal of Art Therapy, 26(4), 176-184.

  • Bar, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Federman, D. (2021). I feel like I'm flying and full of life: Contemporary dance for Parkinson's patients. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 623721.

  • Harel, K., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Turjeman, N. (2021). The spiritual experience of Sufi whirling dervishes: Rising above the separation and duality of this world. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 75, 101831.

  • Wang, K., Goldenberg, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Moshontz, H. (2021). A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behaviour, 5, 1089-1110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x

  • Srolovitz, M., Borgwardt, J., Burkart, M., Clements-Cortes, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Ortiz Guzman, M., … & Kwok, I. B. (2021). Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about music therapy and art therapy. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 25(1), 135-144.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2021). Art therapy as a river with many streams: I think our time has come. International Journal of Art Therapy, 26(4), 123-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/17454832.2021.1994810

  • Karkou, V., Sajnani, N., Orkibi, H., Groarke, J. M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Panero, M. E., … & Baker, F. A. (2022). The psychological and physiological benefits of the arts. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 286.

  • Legate, N., Nguyen, T. V. T., Weinstein, N., Moller, A. C., Legault, L., Adamkovic, M., … & Zahra, E. (2022). A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(22). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111091119

  • Urakami, J., Huss, E., Nagamine, M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Michele Zaccai, M. (2022). The emotional experience of flowers: Zoomed in, zoomed out and painted. Horticulturae, 8(7), 668.

  • Kowal, M., Sorokowski, P., … Czamanski-Cohen, J., … Zumarraga-Espinosa, M. (2022). Predictors of enhancing human physical attractiveness: Data from 93 countries. Evolution and Human Behavior, 43(6), 455-474.

  • Hebi, M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Azaiza, F. (2022). Art therapy in the Arab world. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 81, 101969.

  • Dorison, C. A., Lerner, J. S., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Heller, B. H. (2022). In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries. Affective Science, 3, 577-602.

  • Buchanan, E., Lewis, S., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Primbs, M. (2023). PSACR: The Psychological Science Accelerator's COVID-19 rapid-response dataset. Scientific Data. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/byqha

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., Friedman, K., Adessky, R., Birman, Z., & Koslowsky, M. (2023). Changes in depressive symptoms and perceived stress in women coping with infertility, following mind-body interventions. Archives of Pediatrics, 8, 247.

  • Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2023). The role of emotion processing in art therapy (REPAT) intervention protocol: Art therapy for the reduction of symptoms in breast cancer survivors. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1208901

  • Rachevsky, O., & Czamanski-Cohen, J. (2023). We hugged through Zoom: A qualitative study of the experience of online art therapy for breast cancer survivors. Academic Journal of Creative Arts Therapies, 13(1), 1479-1498 [Hebrew].

  • Weismann-Feingold, T., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Federman, D. J. (2023). “Some small worm is chewing my stomach”: Chronic pain in movement and narratives, a mixed-methods cross-sectional study. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2023.102049

  • Sion, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Halbrecht-Shaked, O. C., Galili, G., & Cwikel, J. (2023). Self-correction, digital art making and stress reduction. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2023.102060

  • Cohen, M., Shamay, Y., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Shulman, K., Keren Rosenberg, S., Abu-Amna, M., Turgeman, I., Merkin Livshits, L., Birenboim, R., Dines, M., & Bar-Sela, G. (2023). Linkage between psychological factors and response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A preliminary study. Cells, 12(20), 2471. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12202471

  • Hebi, M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Azaiza, F., & Weihs, K. L. (2024). Values and their relationship with emotion processing and physical and psychological symptoms among Jewish and Arab breast cancer survivors in Israel. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1297377. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1297377

  • Hebi, M., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Azaiza, F., & Weihs, K. L. (2024). Art and emotion processing among Arab breast cancer survivors: An exploratory study. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 87, 102123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2024.102123

  • Weinfeld, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2024). A theoretical model of emotional processing in visual artmaking and art therapy. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 90, 102196.

  • Malhotra, B., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Haith, L. R., Shim, M., Shewokis, P. A., & Kaimal, G. (2024). Art therapy intervention protocol for research with adult burn patients in inpatient settings. Art Therapy, 1-11

  • Harel, K., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Cohen, M., Lane, R. D., Dines, M., Caspi, O., & Weihs, K. L. (2025). Differences in emotional awareness moderate cytokine-symptom associations in breast cancer survivors. Brain Behavior and Immunity, 124, 387-396.

  • Weinfeld, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2024). Development and validation of drawing-based emotional processing scale (DRAWEP) for art therapists. Art Therapy, 1-16.

  • Prue, G., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Kassianos, A., & Hegarty, J. (2025). Models of care and associated targeted implementation strategies for cancer survivorship support in Europe: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open.

  • Harel, K., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Cohen, M., Caspi, O., & Weihs, K. L. (2025). Emotional processing, coping, and cancer-related sickness symptoms in breast cancer survivors: Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the REPAT study. Psycho-Oncology,  34(2), e70094.

  • Weinfeld, A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2025). Using drawings to measure emotional processing in breast cancer survivors and its association with depression, pain, and fatigue. Psycho-Oncology. 34(2), e70099.

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